Time is of the essence at the moment. Our house sale and purchase are going through and it looks as though we may well be moving house by the end of next month. I know there is so much to do yet I'm finding the thought of all the sorting out and decluttering all rather daunting. Bit by bit I'm deciding what we will bring with us and what needs to go but there is still an awful lot to do.
So at the moment reading is pared down to ten minutes or so before I fall asleep. If I wake up in time I also get twenty minutes in bed with a cup of tea before I walk the dog... when I frequently end up re-reading what I read the night before! So the fact that the last two books I've read have been slim volumes has been a real bonus. I thought Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss was a perfect little gem of a book and I loved it. It tells the story of 17 year old Sylvie who is away in Northumberland during the summer with her down trodden mother and bus driver father who is an obsessive amateur historian. Together with a university professor and three of his anthropology students they are re-enacting life in an Iron Age settlement. Despite being a very short read it manages to cover themes of abuse, violence, class and gender inequality as well as history yet the narrative never falters
My second quick read was Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Published by Virago Classics it was a beautiful book - the cover is delightful - but I wasn't really convinced by the claim that it was a brilliantly witty book about the breakup of a marriage. Being a 'classic' I wanted to like it but mostly I found the self obsessed stream of consciousness just a little tedious and irritating rather than witty. I didn't dislike it enough to give up on it though and was glad as it grew on me a little by the end.
I'm not sure what I will read next as I have a pile of four or five books by the bed, as yet unread, but for now I'm flicking through Marie Kondo in the hope it will inspire me to get on with the tidying and clearing up. This morning I went through my t shirt drawer folding and rolling and found at least four or five that are destined for the charity shop. It's not much but it's a start. I couldn't quite face the KonMarie method of getting all my clothes in one big pile before sorting them out. If I had done that we wouldn't have got in the bed this evening! One drawer at a time will have to do.
I'm not looking forward to going through my books though... definitely won't be putting all of them together in one big pile before sorting them out. One shelf at a time I think.
18 months on from the sale of the farm and now renting I still don't know where things are and as we may have to move again in 9 months I m not sure I care.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed it works out for you!
DeleteGood luck with the "clearance". I'm not planning to move house, but still feel I should be tackling my collection of clutter but can I face it? No. Can't even find time to read at the minute and fall asleep every night to an audio book then have to wind back the following day to try to find the point where I nodded off.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly feels better to clear some space.
DeleteLove Sarah Moss, I read two of her novels. I am not so much of a Kondo fan... I have in the past decluttered my life and regretted letting go of some of the things that I did give away. I think she is a bit heartless in her pursuit of a clutter free life. Anyway, I hope the sorting goes well and that you are not sidetracked by the many good books on your shelves, which no doubt you'll feel like reading again. Happy Valentines Day! x
ReplyDeleteI’ve not regretted get rid of anything yet... so fingers crossed!
Deletewith reference to Kondo book on tidying or decluttering it occurs to me that their hobby/passion/pursuit is probably the almost minimalist lifestyle that they need and impresses friends. True textile artists who create rather than following kits, patterns and do not do repetitive pieces need to build up reserve of materials (materials used in the broad sense). It takes all sorts of personalities and habits to make the whole. How dull life would be if we all lived in sterile tidy surroundings.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly! Would a painter chuck away paints because in the last while she didn’t use red ochre much?
DeleteI think this a bit of a misunderstanding... some people may take it to the extreme and clear out everything except the bare minimum, but I think it’s more about getting rid of unnecessary things from your life. I have kept lots of mementos etc but they are stored nicely together in a box where they can be taken out and seen. Not buried in cupboards for years!
DeleteI could not face the disorder of emptying everything at once. Like you, I do a drawer, shelf, box at a time and have removed lots of stuff from the house during 2018.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree!
DeleteGood luck with your clearing out. From recent experience, once I started it became much easier and in the end I became quite ruthless!
ReplyDeleteI’m finding it easier as I go along too!
DeleteI don't envy you your current task. I had to go through everything to downsize when I moved l8months ago. I had to part with so many books but kept the most precious ones and after all the hard work I found it quite liberating. Hope all goes smoothly for you and you have fine weather for moving day.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite liberating!
DeleteI think going through your clothes in stages is a good idea. I think the people who do the whole Kondo thing of getting everything out in a heap probably throw out items they need just because they are overwhelmed. When I moved I did a section at a time in the weeks leading up to it. Good luck with all.
ReplyDeleteA little bit at a time is working for me... except i’m Worried i’ll Run out of time!
DeleteHave also done the rolling and folding T shirts - looks good.
ReplyDeleteI need to brave another bit.
It's a relief to make some space, but not the swept away in a flood version.
Absolutely... little steps at a time!
DeleteHaving recently moved my top tip is not to worry about decluttering too much before you go. Once you have moved you have to unpack and go through everything, so it's easier then to declutter and pare stuff back. Good luck ��
ReplyDeleteExcept we are moving to a much smaller home so we physically can’t take everything with us. Decluttering before we move is the only way to go!
DeleteDue to DH decorating the dining and front rooms I was unable to sit down any where so, I spent the time sorting through the wardrobes and linen drawers. It was liberating to get rid of clothes I will never fit into again and the old bed linen that has gone on to a new life for tie-dyeing at my daughters school. The old towels are now cleaning cloths.Books are going to be hard to get rid of if we ever downsize, good luck with that Gina.
ReplyDeleteBooks are my sticking point too!
DeleteGina,
ReplyDeleteForget about Marie Kondo..... get into Mrs. Hinch. She's the cleaning sensation from Essex. You won't want anything in your house unless it has a Zoflora fragrance.
I am "Hinched", I am one of the "Hinch Army".
I’m researching this Mrs Hinch 😂
DeleteI hope your move is progressing smoothly. It's always a huge upheaval , but fresh starts can also be very exciting.Good luck with all the sorting out of stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie x
Delete